Asda is launching a trial of new live facial recognition technology at five of its Greater Manchester stores, which are among those most impacted by retail crime.
The two-month trial will see the new technology employed at Asda supermarkets in Ashton, Chadderton, Eastlands, Harpurhey and Trafford Park.
Asda said it was looking at ways to combat huge levels of crime, which last year saw more than 1,400 assaults against Asda colleagues and is costing the supermarket £500m a year, both in terms of product stolen and the security measures employed to deter shoplifters. It hoped the new technology would improve colleague and customer safety, it added.
It has been working with Altrincham-based crime technology consultancy FaceTech to develop the new technology, which it said would be integrated into its existing CCTV network.
It works by scanning images and comparing the results with Asda’s internal list of individuals who have previously committed criminal activity on an Asda site.
If a match is found by the automated system, a member of the Asda head office security team will conduct a check and feed back to the store in real time in a matter of seconds, it said.
However, Asda stressed that it did not expect store staff to put themselves at risk by confronting potentially violent criminals.
Supermarkets tackling retail crime
The move comes as supermarkets continue to spend more money trying to reduce the impact of crime.
According to the BRC, there are more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against shop workers every day, a threefold increase since 2020.
In February, Tesco announced the launch of a new high-tech security hub to target shoplifters and violence against staff.
Tesco said the multimillion-pound centre was part of a major investment to keep its staff and customers safe, along with other measures it has introduced including equipping staff with bodyworn cameras, the installation of protective screens, and the rollout of door entry systems at store entrances.
Asda has a large team working at its HQ in Leeds to monitor CCTV in its stores.
Liz Evans, chief commercial officer – non-food and retail at Asda, said: “The rise in shoplifting and threats and violence against shopworkers in recent years is unacceptable and as a responsible retailer we have to look at all options to reduce the number of offences committed in our stores and protect our colleagues.
“We consistently look for new ways to improve the security in our stores and this trial will help us understand if facial recognition technology can reduce the number of incidents and provide greater protection to everybody in our stores.”
No comments yet